1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a V-type engine for a vehicle, in which a main engine body having a front bank and a rear bank forms a V-shape in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a V-type engine which includes valve actuation units to actuate an intake valve and an exhaust valve that are respectively located in valve chambers in the front bank and the rear bank.
2. Background Art
A V-type engine mounted on a motorcycle, in which valve actuation units for a front bank and a rear bank each have a double overhead camshaft (DOHC) structure, is disclosed in Japanese Patent JP-A 2000-303850. In the motorcycle engine disclosed in this reference, a comparatively large space is required in the valve chamber formed between the cylinder head and the cylinder head cover, in order to accommodate the two camshafts of the DOHC type valve actuation units and cam chains, sprockets, gears and related hardware needed to drive these camshafts, and as a result, the cylinder head and the cylinder head cover are made larger.
Accordingly, in a V-type engine having front and rear banks, when the angle between the banks is widened, the length from the front end of the front bank to the rear end of the rear bank is extended, and along with the need for space to accommodate other vehicle constituent elements, the longitudinal length of the vehicle is extended.
Alternatively, when the angle between the banks is narrowed, the main engine body is made larger in the vertical direction, due to the increased size of the cylinder head and the cylinder head cover. Accordingly, in this arrangement, an air cleaner and a fuel tank, normally provided above the main engine body, are provided in separate locations where there is available space. Thus, it would be necessary to have the vehicle made larger in the vertical direction.